Drafted
by The Psyche of Azarath
Summary: Six months after the masquerade ball, Raven is sent to draft the Phantom of Amity Park into the Titans. She has a cover to maintain but the stress of a faulty thermos, a cocky Phantom, and the icy blue eyes of Danny Fenton force her to take drastic - and somewhat desperate - measures. Part Two of the Recruitment Series.


Drafted

Originally, Raven assumed that she was the one most often picked to go on missions to draft new Titans because she was the one Robin trusted the most not to blow her cover and scare the new recruit away, like Beast Boy often did. Now she saw just how naïve and presumptuous she was. Robin just wanted her to go through this because he knew she was the only one patient enough to go through the trials, the wasted time, the tried patience, and the ridiculous antics. But even she had her limit.

Which is why she hated him very much at this exact moment, as she crouched in a tree in the middle of the night, a pair of binoculars dangling around her neck, ready to pounce on her target the moment he showed up.

She had a few hours before the new recruit came by, so she used it to think about just how exactly she had been driven to such extremes.

/

It had all started about six months after the masquerade ball. Robin called all the Titans together to deliberate on adding a new member. The Phantom of Amity Park. All the Titans had been in the Tower for two months now. As in, every one of the honorary Titans, filling every nook and cranny of the Tower.

It had just about driven Raven insane; the complete and utter _chaos_ of it all.

Argent kept getting into arguments with Speedy because of his hair, Wildebeest and Pantha spent their free time surprise-wrestling each other; there were many rare moments of peace broken that way. Beast Boy and Cyborg kicked their breakfast fights into overdrive, now that there were more people to convince. Melvin, Timmy, and Mas y Menos were even playing hide and seek in the cupboards, Teether trailing behind them all the while. Worst of all, Kid Flash even went so far as to vibrate his body through Raven's door, and enter her room on a dare; which resulted in him getting thrown off the roof of the Tower, to the cheers of everyone else.

Raven was more than happy to get out of the congested place, after triple-locking her room with magic. Beast Boy was particularly nosy with her stuff and very persistent, as if he just decided that the constant crowd of teen heroes would prevent Raven from noticing his snooping. Azar knows she did not need that in her life.

Her first stop had been to the local ghost hunters' house. It had been rather hard to miss, since it was the only brick-red building in the entire town. The giant command center on the roof was a landmark on the city map anyway. Raven flattened down her now shoulder-length black hair and fiddled with the short dress she wore. It was a charmed spinoff of her normal uniform. Hoping the disguise would hold, she knocked on the door. The door swung open and a wide man in a bright orange jumpsuit swung her up into a hug.

"Welcome!" he bellowed. His expression suddenly turned suspicious and he leaned closer to her, pointing a glowing green gun in Raven's face. "You're not a ghost, are you?" he asked.

Loud, boisterous, and obviously impatient. Raven was analyzing the man, trying to get a feel of the professionals she'd be dealing with. He seemed like a good man, but he was a little too loud and impulsive for his line of work.

Raven frowned and took a step back. "No, I'm Rachel Roth. I believe you were told of my –"

"Oh, yes. MADS! The new recruit is here!" he thundered. He carried a surprised. Raven in a fireman's carry to the living room. He deposited her rather roughly onto the couch. Raven massaged her temples, chanting her mantra silently.

A woman in a blue jumpsuit came out of the kitchen and shook Raven's hand firmly. Raven noted she had a firm grip; a strong woman, probably a high rank in some form of martial arts. Raven could tell from her walk that she was competent, unlike her husband.

And these people couldn't catch a teenage ghost?

"Hello dear. My name is Maddie and that's my husband, Jack." She introduced in a motherly tone.

Jack waved enthusiastically from behind is wife.

Raven nodded. "Pleased to meet you. I hope all that was asked for is ready for me?"

Maddie nodded. "Of course," she replied, gesturing to a satchel on the kitchen island. "But are you sure you want to do this?" she asked in a maternal manner.

"I'm very sure Mrs. Fenton," Raven answered.

A frown marred Maddie's pretty face. "Aren't you a little young to hunt the Phantom? Jack and I have been trying for over a year with little success."

"Age is just a number Mrs. Fenton," Raven said, moving to the kitchen and putting on the satchel. It was lighter than she had anticipated. "I'm really good at catching things."

"Then you have got to take our son with you!" Jack said. "It'd be great for him, in the field, catching ghosts."

"What a good idea Jack." Maddie said, pleased. "Danny honey! Come down!"

Danny? Wait. These were the Fentons. If they had a son named Danny that means -

Raven turned to the stairs and saw a strikingly familiar boy descend. His black hair was even shaggier than it was last time but it still masked his icy blue eyes the way it did six months ago. The face was skinnier, drawn, more tired than Raven remembered, but it was still the same face she hadn't forgotten. She averted her eyes, blushing slightly and cursing her decision to keep her eyes a deep violet.

"What is it Mom?" he asked.

Raven could feel his gaze on her, and hoped to Azar the disguise held. The last thing she needed was questions. Especially from him.

"Rachel here wants to try and catch Phantom," Maddie explained.

"What?" Raven heard Danny say. She could still feel his gaze on her, but didn't dare look into his icy blue eyes.

"Yes. Close your mouth dear." Maddie said. "She's new in town. You'll have to show her around."

"Give her some tips, son. Maybe she can show you a thing or two." Jack said.

"Wait. What? Are you sure about this? You're just gonna let her go unsupervised?" Danny asked bewildered.

"She says she's good at catching things. Now hurry up dear, you're wasting her time. She's come a long way," Maddie prompted.

/

"So, where are you from?"

"Far away."

"I see. How far exactly? Because you seem awfully familiar and I'm pretty sure I've never seen you here bef-"

"Where are you taking me exactly?" Her patience was already running thin.

Danny had been walking with Raven for close to thirty minutes. She had since used that time to check her ghost hunting gear inventory. A soup thermos and nothing else. Seriously? A soup thermos against a level seven ghost? They've got to be kidding. Perhaps she had overestimated the Fentons; maybe the entire town had.

"The mall," Danny answered nonchalantly.

Raven turned to him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm taking you to the mall."

"Why? What good could that do?" Raven asked.

"Ghosts like to attack the mall. Plenty of paranoid humans to terrify." Danny replied.

"And it's still open?" Raven asked in surprise.

"Gotta love Mayor Masters," Danny said.

Raven detected a hint of hatred in that statement, and was suddenly very interested. At the masquerade he didn't seem like someone who would dislike anybody. She wondered what made Masters so special. "I take it you don't like the mayor?" she asked.

"You can't like everyone." Danny said evasively as they entered the mall.

Danny directed her over to a burger joint and they sat down at opposite ends of an empty table.

"The Nasty Burger," Raven deadpanned. "That sounds appetizing."

"It's not so bad." Danny said with a shrug. "They have pretty decent burgers."

"I'm more of a fan of waffles than burgers," Raven said. "So, what now?"

"We wait," Danny said. "It's almost noon. Some ghosts usually like to hit during the lunch rush. Almost like clockwork. In the meantime, we can make small talk."

"I'm not a fan of small talk." Raven said crossing her arms. She hoped her body language would get the point across.

Danny ploughed on regardless. "You know, I can't shake the feeling that I've met you somewhere before. A party maybe?"

"I don't do parties," Raven said.

"I thought so," he said, leaning back in his seat. "How do you feel about the inevitable?"

It was when Raven heard his tone that she knew he suspected she was the girl from the ball. It must have been her eyes; she kept forgetting what a dead giveaway they were. She didn't waste so much energy flying all this way just to blow her cover on the first day.

"If you mean my inevitable capture of Phantom," Raven said evenly. "I feel very good about it."

For a long time there was a staring match between them, ice blue met deep purple as they willed the other to crack. Suddenly, their concentration was broken by the sound of a wall being blasted in. The mall instantly broke into chaos, people scattering to the nearest exits. Through the dust, Raven could barely make out the image of a mechanized ghost with flaming green hair. She reached for her satchel, figuring she would give the soup thermos a try. Before she could get a grip on it, Danny grabbed her hand and rushed her to a far corner. Raven yanked her hand out of his grip with a scowl.

"What was that for?" she asked.

Danny looked at her like she was crazy. "That's what you do when you see ghosts. You run." he said.

"In case you've forgotten, I came to this town for a ghost. And if my suspicions are correct, he should be here any minute," Raven stated.

Danny glared at her. "You'll never catch him, you know?" he said with a smirk.

"I haven't failed at catching anything yet," Raven said confidently.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to run for my life like a rational being. Feel free to join me when you get your common sense back."

Raven rolled her eyes at him as he shot off. She turned her attention back to the mechanized ghost, who was now smashing tables and calling for a 'whelp' to come out so he could skin him and mount his pelt on a wall.

Did ghosts even have pelts?

Suddenly, a black and white streak came out of nowhere and slammed into the ghost, knocking him into an opposite wall. "You really need to get a better hobby Skulker," Phantom taunted.

Skulker poked his head out of the rubble and smiled. "Ah, the battle begins," he declared with enthusiasm that reminded Raven of the way a predator eyes its prey. He flew out of the rubble and slammed into Phantom, initiating a mid-air wrestling match.

Raven took the opportunity to move closer to them, until she was directly underneath the brawl. She pulled out the sleek metal thermos and tried to get a clear shot at Phantom. Her arms moved in quick, jerky movements as she followed the fight and tried to get good aim. Before she could get a clear shot, Skulker pulled out a strange gun and shot what looked like green lightning at Phantom. The ghost boy screamed as his body convulsed with electricity. He fell from the air like a rock, heading straight for Raven. Instinctively, Raven lunged out of the way as Phantom crashed into the spot she had been in just moments before. He let out a gasp of pain as his back connected with the tiled floor.

Wait.

Pain?

Gasp?

Phantom got up slowly and his neon green eyes widened when he saw her. "What are you doing here?! It's dangerous!"

Raven saw he was, oddly enough for a ghost, in great pain. She fought off the urge to heal him. "You're hurt," she murmured.

"Not as much as you'll be if you don't get outta here!"

"I will not-"

Raven was cut off by a metal claw grabbing her by her arm and hoisting her up into the air, and soon she was level with Skulker's glowing green eyes.

"Who is this whelp? A friend?" he asked.

Raven narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not his friend. I'm hunting him."

Skulker let out a choked laugh. "You're kidding, right?" he said. "The Red Huntress I understand, she's a pretty good shot with those guns. But this? She's just a child!"

"Do not make the mistake of underestimating me," Raven threatened lowly.

Skulker chuckled. "Feisty child, aren't you?"

"Let her go Skulker!" Phantom yelled flying up to him.

"Alright," Skulker replied impassively. He pressed a button on his suit and the metal claw released Raven, sending her plummeting to the ground and right past Phantom's shocked face. Phantom groaned and shot down to catch Raven before she hit the ground.

"I told you this was dangerous! Why are you still here?" he asked angrily.

"I need to talk to you," Raven said calmly.

"Talk? You risked your life just for a talk?!" Phantom yelled.

"It's important."

"Important enough for you to risk your life?!"

"I was never in any real danger."

"Yeah! Because of _me_!"

Skulker was looking down at them, intrigued.

"Are boys always so narrow-minded? Even when they're dead?" Raven asked with her hands on her hips. "If you would just calm down and let me explain why I came all the way to this soap dish of a town-"

"Oh, so now you're insulting my hometown? What kind of crazy chick are you?!" Phantom raved.

"I'm not crazy. You're just overreacting." Raven said raising her voice. "I just really need to give you-"

"You're just distracting me from my work," Phantom said turning away from her. "I don't have time for-"

He was cut off when Raven walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her. He felt a strange shock run up his spine and stepped back. Raven's face was completely devoid of emotion, as if she knew nothing about what just happened. He intrigued her; what had just happened didn't make any sense. Ghosts weren't supposed to feel anything.

"What did you do to me?" Phantom asked warily.

"Nothing." Raven said crossing her arms. "I just need to tell you that-"

Skulker floated down to their level. "If this is a bad time, I can always come back after you're finish bickering with your girlfriend." He said.

Phantom gripped his white hair and Raven narrowed her eyes.

"She is not my girlfriend!" Phantom hollered.

"Well, okay," Skulker replied, still not believing him. "I've gotta go. Same time in two weeks." He flew away, punching another hole in the wall to do so.

"Finally." Raven said with an exasperated sigh. "Now, I'm actually here to-"

She was cut off when Phantom rather abruptly flew away, without so much as turning to look at Raven at all.

"Well. This is going to be harder than I thought."

/

Three days later Raven found herself discreetly circling the perimeter of Casper High. She had done her research the night before in the cheap motel she was staying in. She really had to talk to Robin about more dignified housing while on recruiting missions, alias be damned. Apparently the high school and the mall were the top two haunting sights. Raven wasn't even surprised. The school's name just begged for ghosts.

The bell suddenly rang shrilly and students began pouring out into the yard. It was lunchtime. Raven spotted Danny in the crowd, walking with an African-American boy with glasses and a goth girl. They sat down at a table and started conversing, not even noticing Raven from where she stood less than twenty feet away.

Raven was still annoyed with Danny for ditching her at the mall during yesterday's ghost attack. She wanted to make it through today, catch Phantom, and get back to Jump City without running into him. Unfortunately, the son of the local ghost hunters would probably have more information on the ghost she'd looking for.

Sighing, Raven stepped out of the shadows and moved across the yard. She stood in front of their table, facing Danny but behind his friends. His blue eyes looked surprised to see her, and then they twinkled with smug cockiness.

"Look who is still here," he said.

Danny's friends turned to look at her; the boy with curiosity and the girl with suspicion. Raven ignored them. She came here for Danny.

"I said I would catch him," Raven said evenly. "I didn't give myself a time limit."

"What's she talking about Danny?" the boy asked.

"She thinks she can catch Danny Phantom." Danny said.

"She'll never catch him," The goth girl said smugly.

Raven wondered if that was the unofficial town motto.

"What's your name anyway?" The boy with glasses asked.

Raven sighed. This conversation was going on for longer than she anticipated. "Rachel Roth" she answered.

"I'm Tucker Foley," The boy said enthusiastically. "And this is Sam Manson. We're Danny's friends."

Raven nodded stiffly.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Danny asked.

"This school is one of the most popular haunting sites in the town." Raven answered.

"And you think a ghost will just show up?" Sam asked.

"I don't think. I know." Raven said. "Statistically, this school gets attacked on Mondays and Fridays. Today's Friday."

"Alright." Tucker said. "You did your research, I'll give you that. Got any weapons?"

Raven shuffled through her satchel and pulled out the thermos. "Danny's parents gave me this." She said placing the thermos on the table. "It doesn't do anything though."

"You must've gotten a fresh one." Sam said.

"What?"

"Nothing!" they all said hurriedly.

Raven narrowed her violet eyes at them. They were obviously hiding something.

"You've got no weapons, no experience, no skills and you expect to just catch Danny Phantom?" Danny asked.

Raven wanted nothing more than to levitate that boy upside down, shaking some of her _experience_ and _skill_ into his thick skull with her powers. She inhaled deeply, mentally chanting her mantra.

"I'd rather you not underestimate me. Besides, the sooner I catch Phantom the sooner I can get back to California." Raven said.

A strange look passed over Danny's eyes. "That's a very long way from Illinois," he commented.

Raven mentally swore. How could she let something slip like that? The last thing she needed was for him to remember the ball and start asking her questions and spending time with her. No matter how appealing his dance hall slash roller rink offer was six months ago – and still is.

"It's not that long a flight though," Raven answered, masking her eyes in her hair.

Danny opened his mouth as though he were about to say something but never got to. A loud, high-pitched shriek filled the air, causing the students - Raven included - to cover their ears. Raven looked up and saw a green octopus ghost floating right above them. The creature gave another shriek and started using its tentacles to rip up trees. The entire student body erupted in shouts, and started running in all directions. Raven looked at the trio of friends, expecting them to run too.

The three shared a look. "Ah! Ghost!" they screamed, running into the school.

Raven narrowed her eyes at their retreating figures. They were definitely hiding something. That was the fakest exclamation of terror she had ever heard. Not only that, if they wanted to get away from the ghost, why would the run into the building the ghost was hovering over? Raven didn't have much time to contemplate the trio's strange behavior. A cool, slimy, tentacle wrapped around her ankle and for the second time since Raven came into this town she found herself dangling upside down in the face of the ghost.

The ghost shrieked in her face, causing Raven to frown in irritation. She reached into her satchel and pulled out the thermos, uncapping it and pointing it at the ghost. The creature recoiled and nearly dropped Raven. The creature was obviously scared of the thermos. Maybe it did do something. Raven shook the thermos, trying to get it to do something - anything.

But nothing happened.

The ghost realized the thermos wouldn't do anything and gave another shriek, throwing Raven toward the front of the school. Raven was just about to fly to safety when someone caught her. The exact ghost she was looking for.

Phantom glared down at her. "What are you still doing here?" He asked setting her down onto the ground.

"I'm not supposed to leave until-"

"You catch me, I know." Phantom said. "Which you'll never be able to do."

"I don't have to catch you, necessarily." Raven said. "If you would just list-"

"Hold that thought." Phantom interrupted.

He flew up to the octopus ghost and gripped it by all eight of its tentacles. He swung the octopus around and around, winding up. He released the creature and it hurtled right into a thick oak on the outskirts of the school. Raven watched with interest as Phantom pulled out a Fenton thermos from his belt, pressed a button on the side and sucked the octopus into it with a flash of green and white. Raven looked at her own thermos, wondering how Phantom got his hands on one and why hers wouldn't work. With a satisfied look, Phantom floated back to the ground next to her.

"How come your thermos works, and mine doesn't?" Raven asked him.

"I made it work. It can't work without-" He stopped himself.

"Without what?" Raven implored, digging for answers.

Phantom shook his head, causing his white hair to fall into his face. He brushed it away with his hand. "Listen, you're not cut out for this. This is the second time this week I had to save you from falling to your death."

Oh, how wrong this ghost boy was. If it weren't for the cover that she wasn't supposed to blow, they would have been in Titans Tower three days ago.

Raven sighed. "You're right," she said.

Phantom looked up at her in surprise. "I am?"

Raven nodded. "I really don't want to get hung upside down anymore. Truce?" she asked holding out her hand.

Phantom eyed her outstretched hand and her impassive face. Cautiously, he took her hand in his and shook firmly. "Truce."

Suddenly, Raven's grip on his hand tightened and he soon found himself with his back on the ground, staring up at the mouth of Raven's thermos. Phantom looked up at Raven in surprise. She had tricked him! Raven was ignoring his shocked look, struggling with the thermos. She pressed that button on the side as she had seen Phantom do, but he was still there; staring up at her with wide green eyes. When he realized the thermos wasn't going to work he broke out in a wide grin.

"Having trouble?" he asked floating up to his feet.

"Be quiet." Raven growled. She pointed the thermos at him, pressing the button frequently and shaking it vigorously. Even with that, nothing happened.

Phantom's grin widened. "Don't worry. It'll be like I'm not even here."

At that, he faded and just vanished. Raven gave a frustrated sigh; she would not lose her cool over this. Phantom had just gone invisible; it was possible that he was still watching her. She would not give him the satisfaction of letting him think he had won this round.

Although he had.

/

A week later Raven found herself having a very awkward dinner with the Fentons. Maddie was a very good cook, not as good as Cyborg, but much better than Raven anyway. Jack's boisterous attitude reminded her heavily of Cyborg and Beast Boy, Maddie's patient tone reminded her of Robin, and Jazz's intelligent - yet kind - conversation filled her with memories of Starfire. Raven would have thoroughly enjoyed herself if it weren't for the homesickness that plagued her, or the fact that Danny was staring at her from across the table.

It was painfully obvious that he was, too. Raven could practically feel his eyes on her when she wasn't looking. When she looked up at him, he was too slow to avert his eyes and jerked slightly; disturbing the water in his glass. Raven frowned. The last thing she needed was for him to get suspicious.

"-capture him," Maddie was saying.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Fenton." Raven said snapping out of her thoughts. "I didn't catch that."

"I said I wasn't sure whether you'll be able to catch Phantom or not," Maddie said kindly. "You've already been way from home for nearly two weeks. Your parents must be worried."

"I don't have parents," Raven responded without thinking. The mood at the table instantly changed. Raven cursed herself for her slip up.

"Sorry for your loss," Jazz said quietly.

"It's okay." Raven avoiding their eyes. "I live with four of my friends now. They're the best."

"Well, they must be missing you too." Jack said.

"Probably." Raven said. "I haven't talked to them in a while."

"And why's that, dear?" Maddie asked.

"I've been too busy planning my capture for Phantom." Raven said.

Danny chocked on the water he was drinking. "You'll never catch him, you know," he repeated.

Raven turned to him with narrowed eyes. "You should stop saying that. You'll jinx yourself and then I _will _catch him."

"I doubt that!" Jack shouted. "Mads and I have been trying for almost two years!"

"Maybe it'd be best to just leave him alone?" Jazz offered.

Raven shook her head. "I can't."

Danny picked at his food. "What could be so important that you just can't leave already?" he mumbled.

Raven pretended she didn't hear him and turned towards Maddie, complementing her on her baked chicken.

"Thank you dear. It's so much easier to eat when it's not trying to kill you."

/

Five days later, Raven was in the middle of an intense meditation session in the middle of her motel room. It was the first one she had done since she left the Tower. She had thought that she would need to meditate frequently, due to the number of ghosts in the town. To her pleasant surprise, the town had much less ghost-induced energy than she had anticipated. She hated to admit it, but Phantom was doing a good job. The only reason she was meditating now was because of what she would be doing tonight won't leave time for her to sleep.

The doorbell rang abruptly, snapping her out of her trance. With a scowl on her face she floated to the door, feet touching ground just before she opened the door. To her surprise, right in front of her stood Danny Fenton.

"Um, hi." He said nervously.

"How did you find me?" Raven asked in her signature monotone.

"I-uh-got your address from my parents," Danny said.

Raven resisted the urge to narrow her eyes at the boy. He was obviously lying; she never gave information like that away when she was on recruitment missions. He must have followed her somehow. Which was strange, because she had made sure she wasn't followed the entire time she was here. Still, if the boy was willing to lie so blatantly, it must be for something important.

"Well, come in then." Raven said widening the door for him.

Danny shuffled in and took a fleeting glance at her room. "Nice place." He said with a hint of teasing sarcasm, regaining some of that old confidence Raven remembered from the ball.

She rolled her eyes. "I've tried talking my friend into getting me better places when I do stuff like this. It's like talking to a brick wall."

"You're a ghost hunter?" Danny asked incredulous.

"Not necessarily." Raven said taking a seat on the cheap couch and motioning for Danny to do the same. "I catch things. Not necessarily ghosts."

"Sounds like a dangerous job." Danny said as he sat.

Raven shrugged. "Is there any particular reason why you're here?" she asked rather bluntly.

Danny faltered and became nervous again. "I wanted to apologise. I wasn't very nice to you at dinner that night, or when you came to my school."

"Apology accepted," Raven said. "Is that all?"

"Um, no. I-there's this great dance hall slash roller rink and-" he was cut off when Raven held up her hand. He looked surprised, and most importantly hurt.

"I'd love to. But I don't have time right now," she said, trying to let him down gently. "I have orders to catch Phantom as soon as possible and head back home the moment I do."

"Oh." Danny said. "I understand." He stood up, and Raven did too. She walked past him to open the door for him to leave. He caught her off guard by gripping her arm. He looked at her with sincere blue eyes. "It's just – I feel like I've met you before, and I just want to try to get to know you better. If you'll let me?" He phrased the last part as a question, as if he were asking his permission.

He didn't need to; Raven wanted to get to know him better too. But right now, she just couldn't. She also couldn't tell him that to his face. "Maybe when I catch Phantom we could get a quick Nasty Burger before I leave for California."

His blue eyes flickered with hope for a brief instant then went dim. Without a word he released his grip on her arm and followed Raven to the door.

"I'll see you later." Raven said, closing the door. As it clicked shut, she barely heard Danny say something.

"You'll never catch him." It was tinged with condemnation, as if Raven would be stuck chasing after Phantom forever.

"I _will_ catch him." She said forcefully through the door. She stood there until she heard Danny walk away. Sighing, she went to pick up her satchel and her notepad from her desk. Boy troubles would have to wait for later. She was on to something, and right now, she had a ghost to track.

/

A week later, and a couple trips to various stores, led Raven to her current situation.

She figured that the best way to capture a ghost such as Phantom was to pounce on him when he least expected it. So she took to studying his late night patrol patterns every night since the day Danny visited her in her motel room and realized he liked to nap under a tree in the park. It was strange for a normal ghost to sleep at all. Then again, Raven now knew Phantom wasn't a normal ghost. She wished Phantom would hurry up and fly by. Dawn was starting to break and Raven was anxious to get back to the Tower and be done with all of this.

So now here she was, crouching in a tree in the middle of the night; waiting. She checked her watch and lifted the binoculars to her eyes. Suddenly, a familiar white streak pierced through the night sky. The streak slowed significantly and came to rest on the ground directly under Raven. He leaned against the tree and sighed.

"Another night without a ghost. Odd. These guys seriously make me paranoid when they don't show up," Phantom muttered tiredly. He yawned and made himself more comfortable. "Oh well, better get some sleep or else I'll be a real ghost tomorrow."

When Raven was sure he was asleep, she slowly removed the binoculars and picked up the thermos. Moving ever so slowly, she positioned herself over Phantom and leaped. She landed right on Phantom's lap, startling him awake. His neon green eyes widened when he saw her.

"You!" he exclaimed.

Raven's face remained stoic as she pressed the button on the thermos. Nothing happened. Raven frowned. "Azar curse it!" she shouted.

Phantom grinned. "Looks like the Fentons gave you a fresh thermos. Sorry crazy, but you need raw energy to activate it. Like ectoplasm." He said smugly. "Good luck getting that. No ghost in his right mind will help you."

Raven looked from the thermos to him. "Raw energy, huh?" she said with a devilish grin. Phantom's look turned fearful when he saw Raven's purple eyes turn a crackling white.

"What are you-"

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

With a flash of black energy from the thermos, Phantom was sucked inside.

"What was that?! Who are you?" he asked from inside the thermos.

"I am Raven of the Teen Titans, and you are about to be taken to Jump City to be drafted," she stated, finally morphing into her comfortable old look, cloak and all.

Phantom delayed before answering. "Me? The Teen Titans want me?" he asked in awe. Then he seemed to come to his senses. "Hey! Don't I get a say in this? Or some time to prepare at least?"

Raven shook the thermos, reveling in Phantom's screams of discomfort. "Maybe if you had listened to me instead of flying off like a jerk that day at the mall, maybe you would've had more time. They expect you for your initiation tests today."

"Today?!"

"Yes. Now be quiet. I've got a long way to teleport and I do not need you nagging in my ear the whole way." Raven said, attaching the thermos to her belt. For a brief second she contemplated leaving a note for the Fentons but rejected it. The sooner she gets back to the tower, the sooner she can forget that any of this ever happened – even Danny.

"But you don't understand! I have to-"

"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" Raven shouted.

Her body transformed into the shape of a pure black raven, the edges of the obsidian energy crackling with white. With a caw, the raven took off into the direction of California, zigzagging frequently.

"Quit it!" Phantom shouted from the thermos, feeling nauseous.

Inside the raven, Raven smirked.

/

Dear readers,

So I've revised most of this and added a lot of new content. I hope I was able to make Raven's behavior as in character as possible. Bear in mind that this entire series is completely unrelated to Live!

Unfortunately, I have exams to take next month and crunch time will start soon. As a result, there probably won't be any activity from me until the last week of September, at least after the 25th. That means I won't be able to add a new chapter to anything. Sorry about that. I hope this makes up for it.

Reviews are appreciated.

Psyche.


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